Coordination complexes isomerism

Four-coordinate complexes provide good examples of the early use of preparative methods for establishing stereochemistry. For complexes of the type [Ma2b2], where a and b are unidentate ligands, a tetrahedral structure cannot produce isomerism whereas a planar structure leads to cis and trans isomers (see below). The preparation of 2 isomers of [PtCl2(NH3)2], for instance, was taken as good evidence for their planarity. ... 

Figure 16.18 summarizes the types of isomerism found in coordination complexes. The two major classes of isomers are structural isomers, in which the atoms are connected to different partners, and stereoisomers, in which the atoms have the same partners but are arranged differently in space. Structural isomers of coordination compounds are subdivided into ionization, hydrate, linkage, and coordination isomers. 

Another type of isomerism displayed by coordination complexes Is based on the bonding of the ligand. Linkage isomers occur when a ligand can bond to a metal using either of two donor atoms. Figure 20-10 shows the two... 

Species such as XXV, XXVI, or XXVII readily form coordination complexes when treated with AuCl, H20So(C0)j q, Idn(CO)3(r -C5Hj), Fe(C0)3(PhCH=CHC(0)CH3>, or [RhCl(CO)2]2 ( ) Tw results are of special interest. First, the skeletal nitrogen atoms in XXV-XXVII do not participate in the coordination process. Presumably, they are effectively shielded by the aryloxy units and are of low basicity. Second, coordinatlve crosslinking can occur when two phosphine residues bind to one metal atom. Ligand-exchange reactions were detected for the rhodium-bound species. The tri-osmium cluster adducts of XXV, XXVI, and XXVII are catalysts for the isomerization of 1-hexane to 2-hexene. 

Thus, one-electron transfer causes cis -> trans isomerization. It is quite effective with free migration of an unpaired electron over the molecular framework. It is less effective when the unpaired electron is confined within the limits of a coordination complex. Such fixation of the unpaired electron hinders the rotation around the C=C bond. In a similar manner, a ball tied to a... 

Geometry of molecules and ions, structural isomerism of simple organic molecules and coordination complexes, dipole moments of molecules, relation of properties to structure... 

In general, transition metal ions are undesired in protein formulations because they can catalyze physical and chemical degradation reactions in proteins. However, specific metal ions are included in formulations when they are cofactors to proteins and in suspension formulations of proteins where they form coordination complexes (e.g., zinc suspension of insulin). Recently, the use of magnesium ions (10-120 mM) has been proposed to inhibit the isomerization of aspartic acid to isoaspartic acid (63). 

Note that the cis isomer lacks an improper axis of rotation and is therefore chiral, but that the trans isomer has a plane of symmetry and will be achiral in the absence of an asymmetric carbon in the phosphine ligand-28 As in the case of the previously encountered cyclopentadienyl complex (page 476), it can be argued whether the coordination number is 5 or 9. In either semantic interpretation these compounds are of considerable interest since isomerism in nine-coordinate complexes Is even less well documented than in those with coordination number 5. 

This is by for the most common coordination number. With certain ions si -coordinate complexes are predominant. For example. chromhim(lll) and cobah(MI) are almost exclusively octahedral in their complexes. It was this large series of octahedral Cr(III) and Co(III) complexes which led Werner to formulate his theories of coordination chemistry and which, with square planar plalinum(II) complexes, formed the basis for almost all of the classic work on complex compounds. Before discussing the various isomeric possibilities for octahedral complexes, it is convenient to dispose of the few nonoctahedral geometries. 

Although both geometrical and optical isomerism are in principle possible in seven-coordinate complexes, no examples are known. Note, for example, that the py3tren complexes must be optically active (see Fig. 12 35b), subject of course to kinetic stability with respect to racemizciion. 

The mechanism involving simple nitrogen-coordinated complexes also accounts for reactivities of certain sterically constrained systems. For instance, 3-(diethyamino)cyclohexene undergoes facile isomerization by the action of the BINAP-Rh catalyst (Scheme 18). The atomic arrangement of the substrate is ideal for the mechanism to involve a three-centered transition state for the C—H oxidative addition to produce the cyclometalated intermediate. The high reactivity of this cyclic substrate does not permit any other mechanisms that start from Rh-allylamine chelate complexes in which both the nitrogen and olefinic bond interact with the metallic center. On the other hand, fro/tt-3-(diethylamino)-4-isopropyl-l-methylcyclohexene is inert to the catalysis, because substantial I strain develops during the transition state of the C—H oxidative addition to Rh. 

Nickel(II) complexes display a variety of equilibria which involve spin state changes. Planar four-coordinate complexes are invariably diamagnetic. These can undergo an intramolecular isomerization to paramagnetic tetrahedral four-coordinate species. Alternatively, the planar complexes can coordinate additional ligands to form five- and six-coordinate paramagnetic complexes. The additional ligand molecules can be Lewis bases in solution, or solvent molecules, or, in par-... 

Azomethines bear a formal resemblance to azo compounds and many parallels exist in the coordination chemistry of the two series of compounds. Thus the bidentate azomethines (191) behave in a strictly comparable manner to the bidentate azo compounds (20) (Section 58.2.2.1). The isomeric, bidentate azomethines (192), however, form metal complexes which undergo very facile hydrolysis as a result of polarization of the azomethine linkage. The difference between the two types of complex is dramatically illustrated by the results of a study135 of metal complex formation by the bis(azomethine) (193). This cannot function as a tetradentate ligand for steric reasons and reacts with copper, nickel and cobalt halides in cold ethanolic solution to form the five-coordinate complexes (194). Crystallization of these products from ethanol gives the five-... 

The reduction behaviour of the alkylidene adduct of a cobalt-dithiolene complex (423) has been examined548 and the study has shown that, when the alkylidene-bridged structure (423) is reduced by one electron, it isomerizes rapidly and quantitatively to the ylide form (424). This represents the first example of reversible isomerization of the metal-carbon bond in a cobaltadithiolene complex. A surprising cis- to tra .s-dihydride isomerization which is unprecedented for 18-electron six-coordinate complexes has been observed549 in an octahedral iridium-c7.y-di hydride complex. 

Penland, R.B., Lane, T.J. and Quaglino,J.V (1956) Infrared absorption spectra of inorganic coordination complexes. VII. Structural isomerism of nitro- and nitritopentam-minecobalt(III) chlorides./. Am. Chem. Soc., 78, 887-889. 

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